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Read the archive   of Wattenberg's   syndicated column     The Market for Human Organs? What would you do if tomorrow you discovered that you needed a new kidney? What would you pay? Would you wait ... more Uncovering Clemente, Baseball’s Last Hero While responding to a catastrophic earthquake in Nicaragua, Puerto-Rican born baseball great, Roberto Clemente, died in a tragic plane crash. The ... more   Irving Berlin’s America, Part I main page Irving Berlin’s America, Part I Aired 12/28/2006 Irving Berlin pulled himself up from poverty on New York’s Lower East Side to become America’s most famous and enduring songwriter. Born Israel Baline in Belarus, then part of the Russian empire, on May 11, 1888, he immigrated with his family to America at age five and later taught himself rudimentary piano while working as a singing waiter in a bar and brothel in New York’s Chinatown. By age twenty-three, he was the wunderkind of Tin Pan Alley with more than two hundred hit songs and hundreds more to come--songs like White Christmas, Easter Parade, and God Bless America. Who was Irving Berlin, and what does his music say about America?   Read the full transcript   Philip Furia     professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and author of "Irving Berlin, a Life in Song"   Robert Kimball     co-editor with Linda Emmet of "The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin"   Linda Emmet     second of Irving Berlin’s three daughters, and co-editor of "The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin" Originally Aired: 5/23/2002     Be sure to also check out: Here are some previous Think Tank programs that may be of interest. The American Musical, Part 2   aired 5/24/2007 The American Musical, Part 1   aired 5/17/2007 Irving Berlin’s America, Part II   aired 1/4/2007 Send us your thoughts Think Tank is made possible by generous support from the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, the Donner Canadian Foundation, the Dodge Jones Foundation, and Pfizer, Inc. ©Copyright Think Tank. All rights reserved.     Web development by Bean Creative.